Bride Tearfully Listens to Late Mother’s Voicemail During Wedding Ceremony: 'The Reassurance I Needed'
Aniyah Gordon's mother couldn't physically be at her wedding, so she found another way for her to be a part of the big day
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Bride and groom standing at altar during wedding ceremony (stock image)In a touching moment, a bride listened to a voicemail from her late mother at her wedding.
Bride Aniyah Gordon, 29, has gone viral on social media for her creative way to have her late mother's presence with her on her big day. Gordon's mother, Aichia Divine Stanislaus, died at age 41 from a heart attack in 2021 but her words of encouragement were at the August 2024 wedding ceremony, as a voicemail she left for her daughter years earlier played.
"Hearing my mom's voice on my wedding day was the reassurance I needed ❤️," Gordon captioned a TikTok video of the heartwarming moment, which has gained more than 1 million likes and nearly 7 million views since it was posted in October. "SB: its my dad whispering 'I love you, you got this, Im always gonna be here' for me 🥲❤️."
In the video, Gordon stands at the end of the aisle next to who appears to be her father. She emotionally throws her head back and begins shedding tears as her mother's voice is heard in the recording telling her in part, "I love you so much ... You're such an awesome kid. You make me proud every day." Others at the wedding can be seen in the background holding back tears.
"I was trying to figure out how I would still have her present after her death and I immediately thought of the voicemail... I sent it to the DJ and no one knew this moment would happen but me," Gordon wrote on Instagram of her decision the night before her wedding to include the voicemail. "It was still an emotional moment but no it was not a surprise to me, it gave me just what I needed."
Gordon and Stanislaus were "besties" and "loved hard," the bride told Good Morning America. Everyone at the wedding, and those who later witnessed the moment online, could clearly feel that love.
"I'm glad that even through the video, people were able to feel her energy, leaving comments saying how soft her voice was and how angelic it was and how comforting it was for them, even in their [own] loss and their grief," Gordon said.
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She added that her sweet inclusion of Stanislaus made the ceremony even more special.
"I'm glad that even without her being here, she was still able to make that impact. And I just remind myself that even though I'm in loss, I'm not in lack," she continued to GMA. "I still have the love and support of her and those around me, and I can feel how much she poured out to other people, because they continuously pour out to me, and it's been amazing."
More than 8,000 comments were left on Gordon's TikTok video about how moving the moment was.
"The makeup artist will have to be on standby for me 😭," read a comment with almost 60,000 likes. Another user added, "Girl we all crying."
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